Lee Budish looks over the tomato plants.
The Edna School Garden in Mill Valley is run by Lee Budish. She is putting the garden back together after it was recently vandalized.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2007 KURT ROGERS MILL VALLEY SFC
THE CHRONICLE GARDDEN_0046_kr.jpg MANDATORY CREDIT FOR PHOTOG AND SF CHRONICLE / NO SALES-MAGS OUT less

Lee Budish looks over the tomato plants.
The Edna School Garden in Mill Valley is run by Lee Budish. She is putting the garden back together after it was recently vandalized.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2007 KURT ... more

Photo: KURT ROGERS

Photo: KURT ROGERS

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Lee Budish looks over the tomato plants.
The Edna School Garden in Mill Valley is run by Lee Budish. She is putting the garden back together after it was recently vandalized.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2007 KURT ROGERS MILL VALLEY SFC
THE CHRONICLE GARDDEN_0046_kr.jpg MANDATORY CREDIT FOR PHOTOG AND SF CHRONICLE / NO SALES-MAGS OUT less

Lee Budish looks over the tomato plants.
The Edna School Garden in Mill Valley is run by Lee Budish. She is putting the garden back together after it was recently vandalized.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2007 KURT ... more

In the sleepy town of Mill Valley, a plot of land blessed with great soil and southern exposure had been nurtured into something magical -- only to be vandalized by kids who attacked apple trees with metal bars, uprooted lavender plants and dumped garbage on the paths.

The Mill Valley Community Garden has since become a lesson in childrearing, a topic for dinner table discussions, and a place where one grieving mom is determined to keep the spirit of her son alive. And, like gardening itself, the restoration is an exercise in optimism.

The garden, situated on land once occupied by the Miwok Indians, is about one-third of an acre on the sprawling Edna Maguire Elementary School campus. It had survived a cycle of nurture and neglect, and in 1990 was nearly bulldozed to make way for a soccer field. Then in January, it started to come to life again -- thanks to two moms who didn't yet know each other and had entirely different motivations.

"I went to the principal to spearhead a campaign to bring the garden back to life," Budish said. "There was momentum. The funding started to come in. One thing after the other began to happen."

Christina Friedman, whose son is a kindergartener at the school, was drawn to the garden by tragedy. Her 4-month-old boy, named Beau -- a twin -- died on Christmas morning.

"After my son passed away, I could have become a pill-popping drunk wallowing in my sorrow, or I could do something nice," Friedman said. "I started with the garden."

Other donations started pouring in, thanks to solicitations by Budish.

There were 60 rose plants from Jackson & Perkins, more than $5,000 from the local Whole Foods, $1,500 from the school's PTA, and $1,000 donated by the local 24 Hour Fitness to buy 120,000 ladybugs to be released in the garden. (They eat aphids.) Budish visited nurseries to ask for moribund plants that she would bring back to life. She even sent a letter to the installation artist Christo, asking for art for the children's garden. She received a photo lithograph instead, which went for $750 at the school auction.

Two parents at the school installed a stunning "reading circle" in the garden. The parents -- an artist and a designer -- used polished and kiln-fired stones to form a labyrinth that is encircled by an intricate wooden bench and set under a canopy of pear trees.

The garden came alive with butterflies, bees, vegetables, fruit and flowers. The schoolchildren spent time there as part of their curriculum. A community celebration was planned in the garden for June 3.

But on the morning of May 28, Budish arrived to find the garden in shambles. Vandals had struck.

Within days, it was learned that the damage had been done by two fifth-graders who attended another district school. In the small community, word spread fast.

Mill Valley Police Capt. James Wickham said the parents of the boys came forward right away.

"We were concerned because you don't want to see vandalism," said Wickham, a Mill Valley native who attended Edna Maguire when it was a junior high school. He said the boys are doing community service that includes working in the Edna Maguire garden, and the two sets of parents are paying $4,500 each in restitution for damage to the property. Checks were delivered Wednesday.

"With kids who are in high school, it's more about consequences, about paying a price for your actions," Wickham said. "With this age group -- from kindergarten to fifth grade -- we tend to focus on education, on helping them understand what is right and wrong."

Charles McGlashan, a member of the Marin County Board of Supervisors, applauds the way the community came together to deal with the vandalism and restoration.

"This small case is an excellent example of how you can bring the perpetrators and the community victims together," said McGlashan, who had visited the Edna Maguire garden before and after the incident. "In this case, it's an opportunity for the kids to see how their actions impacted those who have worked so hard to make the garden happen. It's a lesson for everyone in terms of thinking about the implications of your behavior."

Last week, Budish was back working in the garden. She has grand plans for the garden's programs and expansion. Whole Foods will continue its commitment. Wells Fargo stepped in with $5,000.

David Galasso, a regional president of Wells Fargo, visited the garden after it was vandalized. "I had thought the garden was a hobby, but it's really a way of life at their school," he said. "I was blown away by what they had done there. They quickly worked to mitigate the damage. It seemed important for the psyche of the kids."

Friedman has given $5,000 and plans to donate more. She hopes to have an outdoor classroom built in the garden in Beau's name.

"I almost feel like my baby's spirit is there," Friedman said. "It's my way to have his life continue to grow through the years."

Working in the garden Wednesday were Christine Del Castillo and her son, Julian, who attends the school. They were collecting pears for homemade chutney. The fifth-grader said the best thing about the garden was "planting things at the beginning of the year and seeing them grow by the end of the year."

He said he was horrified when he learned the garden had been vandalized.

"It's so beautiful. Why would anyone hurt this?" he asked.

His mother said the vandalism has been a topic of discussion at the dinner hour.

"It brings up important issues of respecting one another's property," Del Castillo said. "We talked about it in terms of how you would feel if someone came into your room and destroyed all of your precious things."

A soft breeze rustled through the garden. Tibetan-style peace flags made from colorful torn fabric lapped against the fence. Messages were written on the flags by schoolchildren.

One read, "When I think of the garden I think of quiet and also of butterflies."

"The garden means growth and joy and new things to be discovered," read another.

A third read, "The garden means happiness to me. The garden means life to me."